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The Wonderful Leaps of Sam Patch

Sam Patch remained famous for decades after his death in 1829. This drawing from an 1875 children’s book titled The Wonderful Leaps of Sam Patch shows Patch’s jump over Niagara Falls. Contemporary accounts described Patch wearing the white uniform of the Paterson Silk Spinners rather than the bright-red vest seen here, and Patch always jumped feetfirst over waterfalls for his own (relative) safety. This fanciful depiction of Patch’s leap represents his transformation from a real-life laborer and daredevil to a colorful folk hero.

Source: Frederick Gardner, The Wonderful Leaps of Sam Patch (New York, New York: McLoughlin Brothers Publishers, 1875).

Who Built America? An Open Educational Resource has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and funding from The Ford Foundation, Digital Scholar, and the City University of New York Central Office of Library Services. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this Open Educational Resource, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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